Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf re-elected as Speaker of Iranian Parliament

Shafaq News/ On Tuesday, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf was re-elected as the Speaker of the 12th Parliament of the Islamic Republic of Iran for a one-year term. 

Ghalibaf, born in 1961, is a prominent Iranian politician with a background as a trained pilot and former commander in the paramilitary Guard during Iran's war with Iraq in the 1980s. He first assumed the role of Speaker in 2021, following a string of failed presidential bids.

Ghalibaf ran unsuccessful presidential campaigns in 2005, 2013, and 2017. In 2017, he withdrew from the race in support of the hard-liner Ebrahim Raisi.

Out of 287 lawmakers who participated in today's vote, 198 supported Ghalibaf. His main challenger, Mojtaba Zonnouri, a hard-line Shiite cleric with a background in national security, received 60 votes. Another candidate, former Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, garnered five votes.

Ghalibaf's re-election comes amid a period of political transition in Iran following the recent tragic helicopter crash that claimed the lives of President Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, among others. 

The upcoming presidential elections on June 28 will further shape Iran's political landscape.

Iran's parliament, while playing a secondary role in governance compared to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, holds significant power in decisions regarding the annual budget and key legislation.